I had been in my room the whole evening, ever since I came back from university.

  Sad?

  Yes. I was sad.

  It was the first time I had truly liked someone in real life. Before this, all the people I’d ever fallen for lived in books or movies, perfect, fictional versions of love that never hurt me. But reality... reality hurt.

  There was no confirmation about Rowan and Sophia. No label, no announcement. Still, I felt it. The way he went to her. The way she said, “Long time no see.” Jealousy crawled under my skin like a slow burn.

  I kept refreshing my email, hoping, just maybe, he’d send something. Anything. A message about the assignment. A link. One tiny notification from him, even if it was purely academic, would make my heart jump.

  He hadn’t given me his number. All I had was his email. And now that felt like something fragile and precious, like a lifeline I didn’t want to lose.

  A soft knock interrupted the silence.

  “Yeah, Aunt,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

  She opened the door and stepped in. The light flicked on with a quiet click. “Why are you in the dark?” she asked, then came over and sat beside me on the bed. Her palm rested gently on my forehead.

  “No fever,” she observed.

  “I’m not sick,” I replied, staring at the ceiling.

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I mumbled, pulling my pillow closer.

  She sighed and smoothed my hair. “Who’s the person who made my princess this sad, hmm?”

  I sat up, forcing a small smile, then glanced toward my study desk. The little square of paper still stuck to the wall, my comfort note, caught her eye.

Life could be difficult today. Maybe even impossible. It might feel suffocating. But believe me, it will get better. Not tomorrow, not the day after... but one day.

  “You still adore that note?” she asked.

  “I don’t know who wrote it,” I said softly, “but it helps. Whenever I’m down, I read it... and it keeps me going.”

  She squeezed my hand and leaned back slightly. “Aunt... tell me something. If someone says, ‘Long time no see,’ what does that mean?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Simple. It means they haven’t seen each other in a long time.”

  “Why wouldn’t they have met for so long?” I pressed, tipping forward.

  She laughed quietly. “How would I know? There could be a thousand reasons.”

  I pouted. That wasn’t the answer I wanted.

  “What’s his name?” she asked suddenly.

  “Rowan...” I said before catching myself. “I mean, there’s no one. I was just asking.”

  She didn’t push. Her smile softened into something knowing.

  “It’s okay to like someone,” she said. “To love someone.”

  “He has no interest in me... but one day, I’ll make him mine,” I said, whispering the last part with a quiet, stubborn smile.

  “Aria... we can’t force someone to like us back,” she replied gently.

  “But, ”

  She cut me off with the calm of someone who’d seen enough. “You want to know what love really means?”

  I didn’t answer. I just watched her, searching her face for the consolation I craved.

  “It means being happy for them,” she said, “even if their happiness doesn’t include you. Real love isn’t selfish.”

  A part of me understood. A bigger part didn’t want to accept it.

  “What if I want to be selfish?” I asked, voice trembling.

  “You can keep them by your side,” she said, “but they’ll feel suffocated.”

  She paused, then added, “Selfish love is keeping a bird in a cage. Real love is setting it free, and letting it choose to stay.”

  I swallowed. “But... what if the bird flies away and never comes back?”

  She smiled, warm and soft. “Then love the bird. Make it feel safe. Make it feel cherished. If it truly loves you... It will come back, no matter how far it flies.”

  I stared at her. “I can’t let go. I have no plan to take that risk.”

  She looked at me with something like a quiet challenge. “Then maybe... You don’t love that deeply.”

  I turned away, voice barely audible. “Then maybe I won’t love that deeply...”

  If loving someone meant letting them go for their happiness... I didn’t think I could. I didn’t want just their happiness. I wanted them. With me.

  “Aria,” she asked quietly, “does he love you?”

  I didn’t answer.

  She did.

  “If he doesn’t,” she said, “you should let go. Or you’ll only end up hurting yourself.”

  I met her eyes, strength layered over the ache in my chest. “Aunt... I have no plans to give up on him.”

Giving up without trying might feel easy today, but one day, it will turn into a regret too heavy to carry.

My comfort note

Dear comfort note,

How can someone just let go of the person they love? I could never do that. Not in this lifetime.

If I love someone, I’ll do anything, anything, just to keep them by my side. Maybe it sounds obsessive… but that’s just how I am.

My love isn’t soft and sacrificing. My love doesn’t say, “If you’re happy without me, go.” No, my love fights. My love holds on.

I won’t let the person I love slip away. I’ll do whatever it takes to make them fall in love with me… no matter how long it takes.

That’s my truth. And I’m not ashamed of it.